Forsdyke (biochemistry, Queen's Univ., Canada) pays
tribute to Charles Darwin's last disciple, George John Romanes,
suggesting that Romanes anticipated modern developments in biological
theory with his theory on the origin of species by "physiological
selection." The book's key idea is that while Darwin viewed natural
selection as the "prime moving force" in evolution with
reproductive selection following, Romanes and John Thomas Gulick -- the
American missionary and naturalists -- held that physiological or
reproductive selection occurred first and then natural selection acted
on variations. Forsdyke's difficulty lies in his historical discussion;
e.g., he barely identifies Gulick but frequently refers to the "Romanes-Gulick"
theory, an overstatement because although Gulick supported Romanes's
ideas on isolation, he cannot be credited as its coauthor. Another
figure Forsdyke admires is William Bateson, a pioneer in genetics, and
he notes Bateson's antipathy to "biometrician-like statistics in
genetics." However, although Bateson was barely 20 when Darwin died
in 1882, the dust jacket misidentifies him as "Darwin's young
research associate," an ironic twist because Bateson rejected the
Darwinian mechanism of evolution-natural selection. In spite of its
shaky history, the book will interest research biologists and historians
of science. Upper-division graduates through faculty.